Door-operating means



J. D. SMITH.

DOOR OPERATING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR: 15, 1920.

1,362,750, v Patehted Dec. 21 -1920.

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//v VE/VTOR: F J DSMITH J. D. SMITH.

DOOR OPERATING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR; I5, (920.

Patented Dec. 21,1920..

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" aq r /NVENT'0R: JQDISMITH UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DOOR-OPERATING MEANS. l

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 21, 1920.

Application filed March 15, 1920.- Serial No. 365,802.

and resident of Marshalltown, Marshall county, Iowa, have invented a new and useful Door-Operating Means, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved construction for a mechanism adapted for manual operation to open and close swinging doors from a positionremoved considerably from the doors, as for instance from a location within a vehicle standing in front of the doors.

A further object of this invention is to provide improved means for holding swinging doors in any position in which they may be placed by manual operation.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a building having its doors equipped with my improved mechanism. Fig. 2 a plan of the door operating means, the wall of the building on which the mechanism is mounted being shown in section. Fig. 3 is an isometric view illustrating the mechanism in position for practical use and illustrating the doors in partially open position. Fig. 4 is a plan on an enlarged scale of one of the members employed in the mechanism. Fig. 5 is an elevation and Fig. 6 a plan of a toggle lever employed.

Inthe drawings the numeral 10 designates the wall of a building which is formed with a door-way 11 in which double doors 12, 12 are hinged at their outer margins in a common manner. A supporting frame 13, preferably rectangular in plan view, is mounted above the door-way 11 and secured to the wall 10, said frame being located just above said door-way and the position normally occupied by the door 12 when in closed position. That is to say the frame 13 is of substantiallyone-half the width of the doorway 11 and has one of its side margins substantially in the vertical plane of the median line of said door-way. The frame 13 may be constructed of channel or other suitable metal bars and is arranged in horizontal position projecting away from the wall 10 a suitable dlstance. Crossed levers 14:, 15 are arranged above the inner side member of the frame 13 and are conjunctively fulcrumed on a pin or bolt 16 to said member. Rack bars 17, 18 are mounted above and parallel with the upper margin of the door-way 11 and are arranged for rectilinear reciprocatlon in slide bearings 19 carried by the wall 10. Each of the rack bars 17, 18 extends from a point near the median line of the door-way 11 to apoint beyond one of the slde margins of said door-way and is formed with rack teeth 20 onits outer end portion and on the side toward the wall 10. bhort shafts 21, 22 are vertically arranged and adapted for rotary oscillation in bearlngs 23, 23 carried by the wall 10 above the door-way 11 and adjacent the respective side margins thereof. .inions 24, 25 are fixed to the upper end portions of the shafts 21, 22 respectlvely and mesh with the rack teeth 20 of the res ective rack bars 17, 18. The inner ends 0 the crossed levers 14, 15 are plvotally connected by means of short links 26, 27 to adjacent ends of the rack bars 17, 18 respectively. Crank arms28, 29 are connected to the lower end portions of the short shafts 21, 22 respectively and extend, in one posltion, inwardly toward the median line of the door-way 11. The crank arms 28, 29 are alike in construction, one of them being shown in detail in Fig. 4, in which the numeral 30 designates an enlarged flattened head on one end of the crank arm. The

head 30 is formed with an angular opening 31 adapted to be mounted over an angular portion of a shaft 21 or 22 and be suitably. secured thereto. Ears 32, 33 are fixed to outer faces of the respective door members 12, 12 near the upper inner margins thereof, and said ears project above the upper margins of the doors and are formed with holes the axes of which are substantially parallel with the said doors. Inner end portions of the crank arms 28, 29 extend slidably through the apertures of the ears 32, 33 respectively and nuts 34 are adjustably mounted on projecting end portions of said crank arms.

A bearing 35 of any suitable form is mounted on the outer corner of the frame 13 and an operating shaft 36 is journaled for rocking movement in said bearing and extends away in a horizontal plane a desired distance from said frame. The inner end portion of the rock shaft 36 is formed with a laterally extending crank arm 37 extending inwardly toward the inner side of is forked at its end to receive said link. An

operating lever 40 is fixed to and depends from the outer end of the rock shaft 36. The operating member preferably is pivoted on a pin 41 within a fork 42 of the rock shaft so that it is free to swing in a plane perpendicular to the wall 10 of the building but a lateral swinging movement of said operating member in a plane parallel with said wall, will have the effect of rocking the shaft 36.

In practical use, it being assumed that the doors 12, 12 are in closed position, lateral oscillation of the operating member 40 to the left has the effect of oscillating the shaft 36, lowering the free end of the crank arm 37 and the link 39, thus extending the toggle 38 and causing the ends of the crossed levers 14, 15 to be moved away from each other.

-Such movement, through the links 26, 27,

reciprocates the rack bars 17, 18 away from the median line of the doorway, rotates the pinions 24, 25 and shafts 21, 2 2, which rotating movement is communicated to the crank arms 28, 29 and applies outward strain to the free marginal portions of the doors 12, 12 through the cars 32, 33, resulting in an opening movement of said doors on their hinges. This movement may be continued until the doors l2, 12 are in fully opened position to permit the passage of a vehicle, or to any other desired position, and said ,doors are held by the members of the mechanism in the position in which they are so placed and accidental closing thereof as by the wind or other agencies is prevented. An opposite lateral movement of the lower end "of the operating member 40 has the opposite result, namely the breaking of the toggle 38, closing of the crossed levers, and reciprocation of the rack bars in the opposite direction to close the doors, which are held in closed position by themembers of the'mechani'sm and especially by the toggle 38 which prevents accidental movement of any of the parts. This opening and closing operation may be performed by a person situated a considerable distance from the doors, depending upon the length of the frame 13 and rock shaft 36 which may be extended sufficiently so that the operation may be performed from a seat of a vehicle standing in front of the building. The purpose of the pivoting of the operating member 40 to 'the rock shaft 36 on a transverse axis is to permit a yielding of said operating member Without injury to the mechanism-in the event it is engaged by a part of a vehicle moving to or from the building.

The members of the toggle preferably are halved and pivotally connected by a bolt 38 and one of said members is formed with an inclined shoulder 43 adapted for engagement by the other of the said members to limit movement in one direction.

I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement of parts here shown and de scribed, as various modifications therein may be employed, Within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim as my invention- 1. Door operating means comprising crossed levers, rack bars mounted for reciprocation, pivotal connections between said rack bars and the adjacent ends of said levers, shafts arranged in vertical position adjacent hinged margins of the doors, pinions on said shafts adapted for oscillation by said rack bars, crank arms on said shafts connected to free marginal portions of the doors, and means for oscillating said crossed levers.

2. Door operating means comprising crossed levers, rack bars mounted for reciprocation, pivotal connections between said rack bars and the adjacent ends of said levers, shafts arranged in vertical position adjacent hinged margins of the doors, pinions on said shafts adapted for oscillation by said rack bars, crank arms on said shafts connected to free marginal portions of the doors, toggle levers connecting the opposite ends of said crossed levers, and means for actuating said toggle levers.

Door operating means comprising crossed levers, rack bars mountedfor reciprocation, pivotal connections between said rack bars and the adjacent ends of said levers, shafts arranged in vertical position adjacent hinged margins of the doors, pinions on said shafts adapted for oscillation by said rack bars, crank arms on said shafts connected to free marginal portions of the doors, a rock shaft suitably journaled and extending a considerable distance from the doors, a crank arm on said rock shaft pivotally connected to the joint of said toggle lever and means for oscillating said rock shaft.

4. Door operating means comprising the combination with a pair of doors hinged at their outer margins, of a support projecting in a horizontal plane above said doors, a

pair of crossed levers fulcrumed between their ends on said support, rack bars mounted for reciprocation above the respective doors, shafts arranged in vertical position adjacent the hinged margins of said doors, pinions on said shafts adapted to be oscillated by said rack bars, crank arms on said shafts extending toward and connected to free marginal portions of the respective doors, pivotal connections between adjacent ends of the rack bars and inner ends of the crossed levers, a rock shaft journaled in said support and extending a suitable distance away from said doors, a crank arm on the inner end of said rock shaft having its free end pivotally connected to the joint of said toggle lever, and an operating member depending from the outer end of said rock shaft.

5. Door operating means comprising the combination with a pair of doors hinged at their outer margins, of a support projecting in a horizontal plane above said doors, a pair of crossed levers fulcrumed between their ends on said support, rack bars mounted for reciprocation above the respective doors, shafts arranged in vertical position adjacent the hinged margins of said doors, pinions on said shafts adapted to be oscillated by said rack bars, crank arms on said shafts extending toward and loosely connected to free marginal portions of the respective doors, pivotal connections between adjacent ends of the rack bars and inner ends of the crossed levers, a rock shaft j ournaled in said support and extending a suitable distance away from said doors, a crank arm on the inner end of said rock shaft having its free end pivotally connected to the joint of said toggle lever, and an operating member depending from the outer end of the said rock shaft.

6. Door operating means comprising the combination with a pair of doors hinged at their outer margins, of a support projecting in a horizontal plane above said doors, a pair of crossed levers fulcrumed between their ends on said support, rack bars mounted for reciprocation above the respective doors, shafts arranged in vertical position adjacent'the hinged margins of said doors, pinions on said shafts adapted to be oscillated by said rack bars, crank arms on said shafts extending toward and connected to free marginal portions of the respective doors, pivotal connections between adjacent ends of the rack bars and inner ends of the crossed levers, a rock shaft journaled in said support and extending a suitable distance away from said doors, a crank arm on the inner end of said rock shaft having its free end pivotally connected to the joint of said toggle lever, and an operatin'g member depending from the outer end of said rock shaft, said operating member being pivoted on a transverse axis to said rock shaft.

7 Door operating means comprising the combination with a pair of doors hinged at their outer margins, of a support projecting in a horizontal plane above said doors, a pair 'of crossed levers fulcrnmed between their ends on said support, rack bars mounted for reciprocation above the respective doors, shafts arranged in vertical position adjacent the hinged margin of said doors, pinions on said shafts adapted to be oscillated by said rack bars, crank arms on said shafts extending toward free marginal portions of the respective doors, ears fixed to and projecting above the free marginal portions of said doors, said bars being formed with apertures through which said crank arms extend loosely, pivotal connections between adjacent ends of the rack bars and the inner ends of the crossed levers, a toggle lever connecting outer ends of said crossed levers, a rock shaft journaled in said sup port and extending a suitable distance away from said doors, a crank arm on the inner end of said rock shaft having its free end pivotally connected to the joint of said toggle lever, and an operating member depending from the outer end of the said rock shaft.

8. Door operating means comprising the combination with a pair of doors hinged at their outer margins, of a support projecting in a horizontal plane above said doors, a pair of crossed levers fulcrumed between their ends on said support, rack bars mounted for reciprocation above the respective doors, shafts arranged in vertical position adjacent the hinged margins of said doors, pinions on said shafts adapted to be oscillated by said rack bars, crank arms on said shafts extending toward free marginal portions of the respective doors, ears fixed to and projecting above the free marginal portions of said doors, said ears being formed with apertures through which said crank arms extend loosely, nuts adjustably mounted on projecting end portions of said crank arm, pivotal connections between adjacent ends of the rack bars and inner ends of the crossed levers, a toggle lever connecting outer ends of said crossed levers, a rock shaft journaled in. said support and extending a suitable distance away from said doors, a crank arm on the inner end of said rock shaft having its free end pivotally connected to the joint of said toggle lever, and an operating member dleppnding from the outer end of said rock s a t.

Signed at Marshalltown, in the county of Marshall and State of Iowa, this 28th day of February, 1920.

JOSEPH DEVLIN SMITH. 

